The following includes information that may be useful in understanding the present invention(s). It is not an admission that any of the information provided herein is prior art, or material, to the presently described or claimed inventions, or that any publication or document that is specifically or implicitly referenced is prior art.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of hunting and more specifically relates to hunting blinds.
2. Description of the Related Art
Hunting is the practice of pursuing wildlife for food, recreation, or trade. People in modern society practice hunting generally as sport or recreation, but in times of a poor economy, or in areas that are depressed economically, hunting is sometimes practiced more as a supplement to income by reducing the amount of food that would have had to have been bought. In earlier centuries, hunting was practiced to a greater degree to provide a food source for families but the practice gradually declined until the beginning of the 21st century when only an estimated 6% of Americans hunted. As hunting moved from a subsistence activity to a social one, two trends emerged. One was that of the specialist hunter with special training and equipment. The other was the emergence of hunting as a ‘sport’. The percentage of hunters in American society has increased due to modern sport hunting. Hunting in the United States is not associated with any particular class or culture as it sometimes is in some societies and so a larger percentage of the American population is likely to participate by comparison.
Modern day sport hunting is sophisticated in comparison with the hunting technology of past centuries. Firearms are now considerably more technologically advanced than the firearms of the past century. All-terrain vehicles can easily reach into rough or distant hunting grounds that once were considered virtually inaccessible for most people. Range finders can pinpoint the distance of wild game for archery hunters providing a distinct advantage for the hunter. For such a primitive hunting means, bows and bow accessories nowadays are mostly compound bows with a high degree of built in technology. Bow hunters are sportsmen that take pride in their skill of being able closely approach such wary and quick game as deer, elk, and turkey. Getting close enough to kill these types of game usually takes considerable skill and some hunting knowledge.
Some of the hunting accessories used, such as hunting blinds, are nearly a necessity in many environments where the hunter is unable to approach game within a reasonable distance of a firearm or bow-shot. The modern hunting sport has given rise to many different types of hunter blinds for concealment from animals and fowl. Most of these blind systems utilize a type of camouflaged material that blends with natural surroundings, and some type of framework to support the camouflage material. Blind systems can be either ground blinds or elevated blinds for use in trees or on elevated platforms, but the size and shape of these blinds often don't blend well into the surroundings, nor are they comfortable, nor do they retain body heat well. The majority of these blind systems are not easily transportable, utilize a considerable amount of materials and time to construct, and dictate that the hunter must set up the blind in advance of the hunt and then return to the same location for the hunt. Last minute changes in hunting location are usually not feasible due to the set-up time and level of difficulty to transport a blind system. A blind system is needed that is effective, is comfortable, and yet so lightweight that it is easily transportable while hunting and sets up in seconds.
Various attempts have been made to solve the above-mentioned problems such as those found in U.S. Pat. And Pub. Nos. 7,051,908, 5,617,932, 7,219,680, 2009/0165352, 6,698,131, and 2005/0183758. This prior art is representative of hunting blind systems. None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the invention as claimed.
Ideally, a hunting blind system should be easy to setup, be readily transportable, and yet would operate reliably and be manufactured at a modest expense. Thus, a need exists for a reliable camouflage hunting blind system to provide transportability and ease of setup, and to avoid the above-mentioned problems.